Dragons, giants, fierce battles and knights taking on wild quests. Chivalric romance has it all. Chivalric romance has so much influence over storytelling that many stories have at least one element of chivalric romance in them. Here we will look at those elements and what makes a story chivalric.
Chivalric Romance: meaning
We are all familiar with tales such as King Arthur, Lancelot and Gawain, but did you know that they are chivalric romances? And what do we mean by chivalric romances anyway? The term chivalric refers to the code of conduct and values associated with medieval knights, characterized by ideals such as honour, loyalty, courage, and gallantry. It is often associated with the romanticized depiction of knights in literature, particularly in medieval romance and chivalric romance.
The simple explanation is that chivalric romance is a literary genre popular in the later medieval period and told in prose or verse. The medieval period was term retroactively by those living in the Renaissance, so was argued to be roughly the 5th century up until the 15th. Chivalric romance was popular between the 11th and 14th centuries.
When we talk of chivalric romance, we do not mean romantic love stories as we normally associate with romance today. (Although often a fair maiden to be wooed does make an appearance). Instead, chivalric romance really means adventure stories, a bit like medieval action movies. It's all about knights going on fantastic quests, facing great dangers, winning hearts and generally acting like heroes.
These knights would face terrifying dragons or great giants; they could be tricked by enchantresses or wizards. All to prove that they are brave and worthy enough to be called knights. Sometimes their quests involve retrieving special objects, like the holy grail or a sword (Excalibur). Sometimes they travel great distances to find the secret to eternal youth. The essence of all chivalric romances is the adventures these knights embark on.
The stories were hugely popular around Europe. This is perhaps because they were frequently translated and adapted from one language to another. There was no such thing as copyright laws during the medieval period and mimicking another's story did not have the negative stigma it has today. Often stories were translated from their original Old French into languages such as Middle High German and later Middle English.
Chrétien de Troyes' Old French Yvain, the Knight of the Lion (c. 1180) was freely translated into the Middle High German Iwein (c. 1203) by Hartmann von Aue.
Fig. 1 - A depiction of King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, in the stone.
All knights follow what is known as the chivalric code. This is a set of rules that determine how each knight should behave, prizing honour, courtly love and loyalty. Some of the most famous tales of chivalric romance are those of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. The most famous example of these stories would be Thomas Mallory's Le Morte D'Arthur (1485).
Le Morte D'Arthur tells the complete story of Arthur, from becoming King up until his death. It contains many of the stories of his knights of the round table. The book is compiled of many stories of French and English origin.
Chivalric Romance: elements
Now we know what chivalric romance is, we need to know what makes a story a chivalric romance. The main elements in a chivalric romance are chivalry, courtly love, religious poetry, religious piety, adventure, magic, and fantastical antagonists.
Chivalry
It may seem obvious, but all chivalric romances contain chivalry. Chivalry is simply behaving according to the chivalric code. It represents the ideal of knighthood. The word today is still associated with 'gentlemanly' behaviour. The chivalric code includes; having faith and defending the church, defending the weak and being patriotic and brave.
Chivalric persons are not to lie, must be honest and generous and always champion good over evil. Most of the chivalric code can still be seen as honourable today. A knight's sense of honour is important, they believe that the success of the collective is greater than the individual. Other parts of the code have not stood the test of time, however, today we would certainly frown upon waging wars on so-called infidels without mercy.
Courtly Love
As the title suggests, courtly love is all about courting a loved one. Traditionally a knight would fall in love with a 'fair maiden'. Accepting the maiden's freedom of choice, the knights will try to prove themselves worthy of the lady's love. They will do this by acting noble and brave and doing anything she asks. It would not be unusual for knights to be sent out on quests to prove themselves. Sometimes a knight may find themselves competing with another for the same maiden. In this case, the two knights would prove which knight was the most strong and brave in order to win the maiden's heart. A famous example of this would be the tale of Lancelot and Guinevere.
Religious Piety
Part of the chivalric code was to have unerring faith in the church. Knights truly believed they had God on their side. This could be seen as problematic today as knights would often go on crusades to conquer the 'holy land' of Jerusalem. Other times their quests would involve retrieving holy relics, such as Lancelot's search for the holy grail in The Vulgate Cycle (Est. 1215).
Adventure
All chivalric romances are adventure stories. Knights go on quests to either prove their worth or discover a certain object or skill. Sometimes it is to win the heart of a lady and sometimes it is just to prove how brave they are. Many of these adventures are found in Le Morte D'Arthur by Thomas Mallory.
Fig. 2 - Knights often find themselves going on quests of love and honour.
Magic
Characters like Merlin and Morgan Le Fay often bring a little magic to chivalric romances. Morgan Le Fay was an enchantress who has been depicted as both good and bad. In the early works of Chretien de Troyes, she is seen as a great healer. In Le Morte D'Arthur by Thomas Mallory, Morgan Le Fay is depicted as an enemy of King Arthur and his round table.
Fantastical Antagonists
Chivalric romances used fantastical antagonists to excite audiences and prove their heroes' bravery. Not too dissimilar to the comic book movies we would watch today. These antagonists may come in the form of wizards, giants or dragons. In fact, the antagonists in chivalric romances can be anything, the key is that they excite the audience.
One famous example is the Green Knight from 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight', who is a huge green man who can seemingly live without his head.
Chivalric Romance: examples of poems
Many Chivalric romances came in the form of poetry, particularly the earliest examples. French Poet Chretien de Troyes was perhaps the most famous exponent, writing five Arthurian romances. Another famous example of a chivalric romance poem is 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'. Here we will look at two chivalric romance poems.
'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'
The poem's author is unknown and it is assumed that it was written around 1400. The poem is written in Middle English. It is known as an alliterative poem, which is a form of meter used in Old English. The poem uses rhyme and long alliterative lines to tell its narrative. Over 100 stanzas, the poem follows the traditional quest narrative.
Alliterative poems use the same letter for the initial sounds of the words in a line. These letters are normally consonants.
Quest narratives are stories that involve a character who is driven by a desire to find an object or achieve an objective.
The poem starts at Christmas time in the hall of King Arthur. A large, green knight enters the hall and interrupts the festivities. The knight wishes to play a game where a challenger can chop off his head. If successful, the challenger gets to keep the green knight's axe. Sir Gawain accepts the challenge and is successful. The Green Knight picks up his head and leaves. Before he goes, he shows the bleeding head to Sir Gawain and the Queen, reminding Sir Gawain that he has to go to the green chapel so the Green Knight can strike him in return.
As the end of the year approaches, Sir Gawain makes his way to the green chapel. Sir Gawain faces obstacles, testing both his honour and courage. When he finally meets the Green Knight, Sir Gawain's courage is tested as he thinks that by keeping his appointment, he will face his death. The Green Knight only mildly cuts Sir Gawain's neck. Sir Gawain had used a magic belt to save his life and feels shame because of it. He returns as a hero but feels shame in being cowardly.
Chretien de Troyes's Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart (12th century)
Written by Chretien de Troyes in the 12th century, Lancelot is considered to be the first chivalric romance to feature Sir Lancelot. It is a tale of courtly love and explores Lancelot's relationship with Guinevere, who was largely thought to be King Arthur's wife. The narrative tells us of the abduction of Guinevere and her subsequent rescue by Lancelot.
Although it seems unusual for one of Arthur's Knights to be courting his queen, it was widely accepted, even encouraged in medieval times. Marriage is seen as not affecting a woman's chance of encountering courtly love. However, the affair eventually brings the downfall of King Arthur's kingdom. This is most likely to respect the Christian values of sin and its opinion of extramarital affairs. The poem also features the familiar character of Sir Gawain, who helps Lancelot search for the missing Guinevere.
Chivalric Romance: influences
The chivalric romances did much to shape our view of the medieval period. Their influence can be found directly and indirectly in many adventure stories. Don Quixote (1605) was considered one of the first novels in western literature and was heavily influenced by the chivalric romances. The main character, Don Quixote has read many chivalric romances and decides to revive the ideals of knighthood in Spain.
The characteristic quests that feature in chivalric romances can be seen in the fantasy work of JRR Tolkien, where the protagonists set out to explicitly achieve one goal. JRR Tolkien himself was a medieval scholar at Oxford. One Indiana Jones film, The Last Crusade (1989), goes as far as taking on the same quest. The film has the hero searching for the holy grail, much like Lancelot before him. There can be similarities when looking at stories of the 'Wild West' with their cowboys often defending the weak and saving the fair maiden.
The Castle of Otranto (1764) used a medieval setting and romantic plot and added ghosts. This addition of haunting elements to a romance story marked the beginning of the gothic genre. So chivalric romances can be seen as a forbearer to stories such as Dracula and Frankenstein. Most contemporary stories will contain at least one element of the chivalric romance. So it is safe to say that the influence of chivalric romance is far-reaching.
Chivalric Romance - Key Takeaways
- Chivalric romance is a literary genre that told tales of medieval knights in verse or prose.
- Chivalric romances were popular in the medieval period: the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.
- One famous example of chivalric romance is 'Le Mort D'Arthur' (1485) by Thomas Mallory.
- Chivalric romances would normally be about a knight going on a quest for love or honour.
- Chivalric romances were used to depict the chivalric code, which is an honour code which all knights should live by.
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